Tank Battles

I'm not even sure what to say about this one. On one hand, I didn't enjoy listening to it. On the other hand, this is the type of thing I would have thought there would be more of in the book, and I appreciated it for that.

Just admit you're a lazyass if you're giving it a low rating over it not being on spotify. Very stylish and classy.

Honestly when I first started this album I was like, what the heck is this. But as I listened longer I kind of got into it. Her vocals are awesome, the music was cool. I'm not sure I'd ever be in a mood to jam out to this, but it was a great listen.

Not my taste. At all. Wondering what qualifies it to be on the list?

I have come a conclusion that Tank Battles doesn’t really fit this list. I just don’t get, why everyone would need to sit through this cabaret-style record in their lifetime. When that it said, I was strangely compelled by Krause’s emotional vocals and, at least to some extent, the storytelling as well. You can hear in the delivering alone, that this is an important album - maybe only to Krause, maybe because of its themes, maybe to a lot of people understanding this slightly better than I do. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. So I’ll finish this review now, before I change my mind and hand it 2 stars.

Tank Battles offers a unique blend of avant-garde cabaret, political folk, and classical music. Dagmar Krause takes on the compositions of Hanns Eisler, whose work was rooted in protest and resistance. Her intense, theatrical delivery suits the stark, socially charged lyrics, while Greg Cohen’s sharp production brings out the tension in these minimalist, cabaret-like arrangements. The musicianship is flawless, adding depth to an already weighty album. The historical relevance of Tank Battles is undeniable. The universal themes of war, oppression, and resistance still resonate, and its rarity gives the album a special allure. For this reason it fully deserves its place in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Krause brings immense gravitas and theatricality to these tracks, making the material feel both urgent and timeless. That said, the album’s length—26 tracks in total—can make it feel overwhelming. Even with many short compositions, the experience is a bit long-winded. Krause’s teutonic vocal delivery, while powerful, can also be jarring for some listeners, coming across as more confrontational than melodic. This starkness makes the album feel more like a political statement than a traditional listening experience. In the right setting, Tank Battles can be gripping and eye-opening, but it’s not a go-to album for casual or repeated listens. Despite its impressive achievements, this is more of an album you appreciate for its impact rather than one you turn to for musical enjoyment. While it’s certainly thought-provoking and historically important, it’s not an album I find myself eager to revisit any time soon. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? if the aim is to include a multitude of genres and eras then yes Would this release make my personal list? doubtful Will I be listening to it again? rarely

Ret meget et wtf moment, men jeg synes det var fed! Stærkt, god produktion. Ville virkelig ønske at den oprindelige 45-minutter plade var på YouTube, for jeg hørte en 80-minutters udgave (kunne ikke engang stoppe halvvejs for tracklisten er helt anderledes!), tror det ville have været mere effektivt hvis den var kortere.

Weird one

It's too bad it's a challenge to listen to this artist, because this is some strange but interesting music. Feels more like a play than an album, and it sounds far older than 1988, almost like WW2 propoganda. Some of these songs are quite cool, like You Have to Pay. Definitely unique among this 300 albums I've had so far.

Wasn't on Spotify and took me a while to find a decent playlist version on YouTube (thanks to those who linked to it in the reviews!) Quite a strangely powerful album, took me unexpectedly.

I'm giving this a 3 because this list could use more variety of genres, but this couldn't be the best Brechtian cabaret album you could dig up, could it?

Ihan hyvä versionti saksalaisesta laulumusiikista, joka ei ole itselleni järin tuttu genre.

This is bizarre. I am genuinely not sure how I feel about it. I guess I'll give it a decent rating solely due to my never having heard anything like this before. 3/5

I liked it quite a bit, because it's different. I haven't really heard cabaret and avantgarde mixed together before. It reminded me a bit of 1920s Weimar Germany's music and culture, and even Nico a tiny bit. Albums on Island records never really disappoint me. 3.5 out of 5.

Different, not your usual, not bad.

Very unique experience

Tangos e tragédias!

nice immersive experience, doesnt deserve to be sixth lowest rated album on the site

Definitely interesting, and something that I would not have found on my own. Probably not something I find myself going back to, but it’s not bad.

Didn’t get a chance to listen to more than one song. That was enough

A masterful performance of music that is impossible to enjoy.

*Listening Notes* This is not currently available on spotify but is available on youtube. The 1980s meets the Weimar Republic music scene.

Couldn't find this on streaming platforms

Saw this was one of the lowest-rated albums here, and got worried. Was expecting it to be way worse. It reminded me of the soundtrack to a weird Broadway musical. I can tell this is an intense war album, and it communicated that feeling very well even though a lot of it was in German. I also appreciate the instrumentals as a former band geek. The length is a problem; it lost its effectiveness about 40 minutes in. I enjoyed this for what it was. Although I probably won't ever find the need to listen to it again, I'm ultimately glad I did.

As I'm winding down the final days of my journey on this project, it's fitting that I land here. I didn't come to 1001 albums necessarily to hear all the Dylan and Beatles albums I already love. I wanted to push myself and hear new things, and for that purpose, this album delivers. Really a unique, compelling listening experience, with bold arrangements and a powerful vocal performance by Dagmar Krause. I may or may not revisit this, but I appreciate getting the chance to hear it. Fave Songs: Lied von der Belebeden Wirkung des Geldes, Genevieve: Ostern ist Ein Ball sur Seine, Und Endlich Stirbt, The Trenches, Mankind, Change the World – It Needs It

Difficult to judge really, I can admire the attempt to do something different. It's very theatrical and Brecht and Weill influenced. It's just not something I would want to listen to.

could not find. 3 stars on principle.

Ok this is a big album. I am totally in the dark as to who Dagmar is, relying instead on her wikipedia page for context. But this is musical theatre. This is really interesting storytelling.

Had to listen to a you tube version very interesting though

I don't know what the hell this is, and I don't really care for it, but I can't deny that she's doing the shit out of whatever it is 3/5

Favorite Track: Song of a German Mother

An audacious attempt at melding 20s music with modern sounds, Dagmar Krause cultivates a field to command her Tank Battles. One can envision the blend with a cinematic flair that can sweep the emotions of the listener and leave them dazed and swelled with all sorts of feeling. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDIxWXRU4UDqrRm_pTjpJSWXvjEzKg9U1&si=e3bBsr-uNvCpRuE6 Favorites: Song of the Whitewash, Tank Battles, You Have to Pay, Ballad of the Sackslingers, The Perhaps Song, Song of a German Mother, Bankenlied, Failure in Loving, Berlin 1919, The Trenches.

Interesting little record containing a bunch of songs that range from old-timey jazz to some more abstract but brief avant-garde songs that makes for a pretty interesting, if somewhat unfocused, listening experience. There's definitely a German flair to this that I can appreciate above anything else.

Not available, so I’m moving on.

This was certainly an experience. Not something I'll revisit but I certainly had it.

I can't say I enjoyed this, but it was certainly an interesting experience I would never have encountered without this 1001 albums project. More than anything else, this sounds like the music accompanying war-themed cartoons from the 50's and 60's. Weird, overly dramatic, sometimes unpleasant, always pompous, but also fascinating, anachronistic, and entertaining.

Once you get over the shock that you're listening to an avant-garde cabaret album, it's really not bad. Quite lively. An hour plus of this is taking the piss a bit much. But I've heard much worse on this thing. Favorite tracks: "The Ballad of the Sackslingers", "Song of a German Mother"

An odd choice - not complaining of course, that is what I have signed up for. I actually have a couple of LPs of this sort of music in my collection (Lost in the Stars, a collection of Kurt Weill songs by Tom Waits and other artists is fantastic).

Короче, музыкально - это неплохая репрезентация кабаре и военной музыки. Исторически - ну тут пиздец, скорее всего Но интересный опыт Алкоальбом: wiesebeer

Not on spotify

Har ikke hørt dette albumet, men var rate ganske høyt, men også rar type klassisk såå

Listened on YouTube. She’s definitely quite talented — I wish she were singing something less modern and wacky, but who am I to tell her what to do. My late grandmother on my dad’s side was a professional soprano who really enjoyed performing avant-garde stuff, and Krause’s precision and technical skill reminded me of grandma’s recordings, so I have a bit of a soft spot for it. At the end of the day probably won’t listen again though. 6.5/10

Interesting vibe and voice, and well suited songs for a movie soundtrack.

I liked to know that this kind of more "classical" music is also present in the 1001 list, sharing space with pop music in general. Reading about the album and Dagmar Krause, I also enjoyed learning about German compositors. On the weak side, the album is quite long and too uniform to be really good. "The Rat Men—Nightmare" is a song that I'll probably include in my favorites.

Album about war bad

totally unconventional. sound is timeless and far away from the 80's from when it actually is. i actually enjoyed it

Kinda Creepy and beautiful

3.5 - youtube

I'm not convinced this isn't Tom Waits singing in falsetto ala Wayne Newton. Regardless, this was weird and fun. 3/5

Sounds like the German version of a Baz Luhrmann score. Definitely performance art reminiscent of Kate Bush & Sparks but not quite in the same league. I kinda liked it.

This was pretty weird, but not terrible. But not mind blowing. It just kinda was for me.

Not available online

Utterly bizarre, but I kind of admire that in an album. Wouldn’t listen again though

Un regal cet album mal mixé sur Youtube, on en redemande (Robert ouvre ta boite aux lettres tu devrais y retrouver une menace de mort)

first listen i actually really enjoyed this but it lacks diversity and is long

No tämähän on. Just sitä mitä kansi ja nimi antavat olettaa, kuten sekin, ettei tätä ole striimattavana: todella kokeilevaa, 1900-luvun alulle kumartavaa. Kiinnostavaa. Olisi miellyttävämpää jos ei olisi niin meteliä, toki miellyttävyys ei ole tässä päämäärä vaan TAISTELU.

Ihan kiva että Brechtin juttuja tehdään ymmärrettäväksi meillekin, jotka bluffaamme saksan osaamisemme. Draaman palasista koostettu levy on tietenkin kulutustavarana hankala. Mutta kuuntelen.

The concept is incredible. Very impressed by the accomplishment.

Un trabajo bastante curioso que mezcla la música docta con la aproximación moderna de la construcción de LPs. Quizá no es del gusto de muchos, pero en contexto, es bastante disfrutable, además de contener un potente mensaje antiguerra.

This one lands in the category of what the heck did I just listen too.

Speciaal, zo'n oorlogsliederen. Volgens mij ook erg trouw aan de stijl van hoe ze werden gecomponeerd

Interesting Mix of Jazz and Cabaret. Not really my style but feels New every time.

Interesting listen. English translated German protest songs.

I like Dagmar Krause in Slapp Happy, and I didn’t hate this, but a little Brechtian showtunes go a very long way

Cabaret. Jazz

cant rate not on spotify

An interesting art piece, if not exactly my kind of music. I’ve been learning German for a while so I appreciated the language practice, definitely kept me engaged when the instrumentals got much too show-tune. Even though this kind of music is well outside my wheelhouse I did find myself taking more interest than expected, not something I would throw on for easy listening but glad I had the chance to take it in.

It was interesting, at least, but not something I'm ever really going to return to. It gave me just enough of a "hmm" for 3 stars.

I see what is going on here, but there is just a little too much to actually feel fresh.

Weird but I managed to get through it.

Kind of a derpy old world charm mixed with sharp messages. It's an appealing cocktail.

Really liked it, bizarre, different but interesting

Nice!

interesting sound, overall enjoyed the intensity.

I wonder if I found the right right album to listen to? I don’t mean this and an insult but what I listened to doesn’t sound like something that would be on the 1001. I listened to the two files I found on YouTube since the playing time was close but they had a number of songs in French so they don’t seem to fit. In any event, I found it amusing to think about what the typical American would have said about the French songs around the time “Freedom Fries” were introduced to the American lexicon.

It was interesting to read about Hanns Eisler and his life. Musically, I'm not such a fan of the avant/cabaret style and Dagmar Kraus singing style is an acquired taste. One of the songs ("Balad of Bourgoise Welfare") ended with applause, so I went back to YouTube to watch the performance and it was very good: Kruase had an intense glare, the piano player was really into it as was the clarinet player, who looked about twelve. For that, and Hanns, I give her an extra point.

All I can say is this was a very unique listen, very much sounded like a musical soundtrack. Was done well but it wasn't really a relaxing listen, but it seemed really powerful and this album was so different to anything I've listened to in this project. I wasn't able to find all the songs on this album but found enough to be able to get the vibe of the album.

Un album de guerre. C'est très emotif, il y a une certaine ambiance a cet album que j'ai bien aimé. La langue de la chanteuse et sa voix se prête bien à cet album. C'est bon mais la réécoute est inexistante. 3.10

No se encuentra el disco en Spotify

I'd only encountered Brecht, and only in translation, for context. Krause's vocal performance is from there plenty interesting and plenty clipped. An hour is long enough to start considering whether and how translation serves this work and what to do with the blunt conceits. A few better handholds stretch out, the music's nice, the record does arc, the German buttresses.

uhhhh vewy dwamatic

This is certainly a different one! Definitely interesting—caught my ear and kept surprising me. That’s one of the great things about this project of course: it keeps presenting me with so much music that I would never otherwise hear. Bravo, 1001 Albums!

An 80s jazz/cabaret send-up of some poems from Germany during the world wars. I tried to read around and find some more context to make sure I wasn't given tepid approval to some sympathizers, and I couldn't ever find the confirmation I was looking for. It seems like a lot of ruminations on how much war sucks, which yes, but at the end of the day the vocals didn't do much for me at all. Best track: I couldn't really keep up with the tracks since the version I found was all in a single low-quality Youtube video, but there was one about 2/3 of the way through that had some tremendous horn work. That one

Sing-songy, almost like it's a musical. Kinda fun to listen to for a random Thursday. 3.5

I like this type of theatrical avant garde music but this didn’t grab me.

Interesting.

This was... unexpected.

Album # 202 Dagmar Krause: Tank Battles This album felt more like an academic endeavour than a leisurely one. One of the few albums I actually sat down and did research about because its existence was so confusing to me. From what I gather, this is a cover album in which Dagmar Krause performs the songs of Hanns Eisler, who was a German composer during the 30s and 40s. Essentially, the goal of the album is for a contemporary German musician to recreate the infamous cabaret sound of Nazi Germany. The album is interesting from a historical perspective, with many of the lyrics presenting a look into the perspective of German people at the time, with songs promoting socialism and denouncing the Nazi regime. I would say that the songs range from mildly enjoyable to quite good, with a few that were simply too dated, but ultimately nothing here sounds too essential. I get the inclusion as this album represents a pretty important and famous time in Western music, but perhaps the list would be better off had it just included Hanns Eisler’s original works, or even some of Dagmar Krause’s other works, which I hear are quite good. At least it was fascinating, so I can’t be too harsh on it. I think I just kinda liked it because it reminds me of the opening to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which is the greatest movie of all time. Best Songs: Chanson Allemande, Bankenlied, (I Read About) Tank Battles Worst Song: Mother Beimleim Score out of 10: 5

Its hard to rate this. Its essentially showtunes. Its not bad but its just not very mainstream. Should you listen to it before you die? I dunno, maybe? Will you like it? Probably not

C'est très très dramatique

Very strange and difficult to find intact. I don’t have anything against this, but I can’t pretend it held my attention for any reason beyond sheer novelty. Experimental German theater is one of those things I’m just never going to develop an interest in.

Not my stuff

Not as fun or musically interesting as it could be I guess.

Sometimes a local dive will be purchased by people that wear fedoras and retool the shot and beer bar into a "cabaret" with nightly music by Magic Music Mike. You're not allowed to talk during his "show." You sit there with your friends while some guy that has clearly jerked off to this album for years blathers on stage until you just leave. Some things are best left as historical oddities.

The actual album not available so can't comment on that. I listened to 'most popular ' on Spotify for the artist. If you forced me to guess what non-English language this was penned in I would have definitely said German.

sounds like show tunes. Not sure what kind of theater this would be. Germanic

This was cool and I’m glad I heard it, but I think this had a little more value to me as a history lesson on who Hanns Eisner was. The orchestration was solid and the lyrics were definitely the best part. I just don’t think I will be coming back to this. Favorite songs were The Ballad Of The Sackslingers and Song Of A German Mother.

Not my thing. Def felt the “cabaret” vibes. She has an interesting voice and the concept is unique but I will never listen to this ever again.

Isn't in Spotify, so too bad

Couldn't get the Spotify link so I'm on youtube. Being turned off by every song so far. So had to stop listening part way through.

This was weirdly hypnotic. 1920s German Cabaret songs composed by a Marxist and with lyrics translated into English... it's hard to look away. 2.5 stars rounded down.

Once again it's heavy "musical theater" vibe. The last Dagmar album we heard had a film noir feel that made it occasionally interesting (minus her voice). This one is more down-the-middle musical style (Oklahoma?) so it's even less interesting.

I refuse to believe that of the theatrical militaristic operetta available, this was the best one.

Maybe it's the German coming out, but a lot of the weird creepiness to this makes it feel like a lost Nico record. I don't even think these songs are supposed to be that creepy. The theatrical energy here either benefits the songs or totally kills them and I think the English translations ruin any effect they try to have. I don't have a problem with theater/cabaret stuff inherently but I don't know, man. "Weird" is the first word that comes to mind here.

Might be cool if you were actually involved in a tank battle while listening

I was completely unaware of this artist and am going in completely blind. I wish I could have listened to this completely deaf. But seriously though, I respect this list for including these avant garde selections... I just don't think this is something that one needs to listen to before one dies. And it's another case where the fact that this album isn't readily available to stream is an indicator of exactly how important this album actually is. I don't hate this, but I would not call this good.

Sorry, but this album was an absolute mystery to me.

Beim ersten Versuch nach Einer Minute abgebrochen. Dann noch mal versucht. Entweder es wird wirklich besser oder ich leider unter Stockholm Syndrom. Manchmal pure Folter aber aufjedenfall interessant 2/5

This was not available on my streaming service, but I found it on Youtube. Clearly a talented musician and some beautiful songs, but not a genre that I am very interested in.

brute.

Ok, so, probably pretty musical, and the German accent is kind of a fun vibe, but this one just ain't doing it for me. No thanks, ma'am.

I surprisingly made it 10 songs in buuuuut yeah this is not for me at all

From an objective view there are some very powerful songs on here, especially if one is willing to dig further into the German lyrics. Most definitely an interesting inclusion in terms of musical style and historical context. From a subjective view, I am respectfully not built for this. Standouts: Ballade von der belebenden Wirkung des Geldes (The Song of the Invigorating Impact of Cash) • Song of a German Mother • The Trenches (Hanns Eisler)

This just wasn't for me. Didn't hate it, also didn't like it. Would have never went out of the way to search this but glad I got to listen to it. It's why I love doing this list.

Didn’t find

Es distinto, pero tampoco gran cosa.

Promising at first but the periods of silence in the middle of tracks were really annoying

2 stars only because it somewhat reminded me of Max Raabe

That was certainly something to remind me how good the average album on this list actually is.

Suena bien, parece la banda sonora de Cabaret. No está en Tidal ni Spotify, así que ha tocado oírlo por YouTube Music. No me ha interesado mucho y no sé cual sería su relevancia en el momento de publicación o porqué acabó en esta lista de álbumes.

Nah

Boring

Andy Bernard performing Sweeney Todd's opening number in Season 7, Episode 3 of The Office, entitled "Andy's Play" paired with Sally Bowles and the Emcee performing "Money Money" in the 1972 film version of Cabaret.

Brechtian showtunes, if that's your thing

1.5 if I could

Look, I enjoy a good Weimar song so this one wasn't totally inscrutable to me, but it's bizarre that this is a record and not a concert, and it's more bizarre that it's on this list. Krause's voice is perfect for these songs, channeling her inner Lotte Lenya. But this one...it makes for a real head scratcher for sure.

"Sit down, kids, Liza Minelli's got a little history lesson for us. And a-one, a-two-..." This is... a beguiling entry. But it illuminates a significant moment of the 20th century, which is a cool use of recorded music? I guess.

Bruh, maybe it would be fine but I didn’t need this today

Weird. Uncomfortable at times. Her voice is beautiful and the music is in equal parts stunning and jarring. It’s not something I’d listen to again. But I didn’t utterly hate it. 2.0/5.0 Best Song: track4/5

Very inconsistent.

Une toune ç'aurait été assez. Ça va faire l'estie de niaisage. Pour les gens qui trippent, je conseille chaleureusement du Lynda Lemay.

2 out of 5. This album, and Dagmar, has gusto in performing these songs.

When she sang "This is not good, it's not good."... I really felt that. Maybe this works in the original German, but the translation makes the lyrics pretty clunky and adds piles of campiness to listening experience. The version I listened to on YouTube had a few tracks that were in German and I preferred those to any of the English songs.

I don't know quite what to make of this really. Feels more like performance art than music. Very focused on politics and perhaps quite moving if you were to see her live. Difficult to engage with as a recording. Musically unimpressive.

Pretty weird, really unique, it feels more like a theatrical play than an album. Filled with songs full of political and social commentary about a post-nazi germany, Tank Battles is an album that, if we talk only about its concept and context, we end up with an amazingly interesting piece of art, but as much as I respect what Dagmar Krause did on this album, it just isn't a project I would re-listen to in any context. And I think that says a lot about what this record is actually trying to be. Because it never really feels like it wants you to come back. It doesn’t invite you in, and doesn’t even try to disguise its intentions, instead, it stands there, almost confrontational, delivering the music in a way that feels deliberately cold, sometimes even alienating. The more I sit with it, the more it feels like the lack of replay value isn’t a flaw, but part of the design. These songs aren’t built to live in a playlist, but instead to make a point, to interrupt, to challenge, and once that point lands, there isn’t much comfort left to return to. It's just a project that reinforces this idea that you’re not supposed to “enjoy” this in the traditional sense. So yeah, it ends up in a strange place, a record I genuinely respect, in both concept and execution, but one that exists more as an experience to have once (or maybe a few times, idk) rather than something to live with. And maybe that’s exactly what it was meant to be. Overall pretty interesting listen

This was interesting. Not bad but definitely not up my alley. Although I'm giving it the same rating as the Public Image album, this is certainly better.

Hard to find, struggled to listen through.

Maybe not quite my taste but it was enjoyable.

Boo tomato

No thanks

This was an odd album, and its probably more my lack of listening to German music. The themes were very political and historical, but it sounded like I was listening to a Danny Elfman score or maybe Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. It was very odd

Too theatrical, hard to stand.

This was such a fun listen. The whole album feels incredibly theatrical, almost like you’re sitting in some strange cabaret performance where every song is a different act. There’s a lot of character in the delivery, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes it even better. It’s funny in a very unique way too—not obvious, but more in how it’s performed and presented. The voice, the arrangements, the little dramatic moments… it all comes together like a piece of musical theatre. Not something I’d play every day, but definitely a really entertaining and memorable experience.

Nice voice, however I feel like the songs themselves didn't pique my interest

I have an unreasonable, visceral aversion against this album, and the style in general. Just when I thought some of it was tolerable, Mother Beimlein came along. Some songs are excellent if you own a village circus and need something for when the clown comes on stage. I'll give it a 2* because this probably has historical value, and it's played and sung alright (for the genre). Does not deserve to be on the list for me (a true historical recording may do, though, if it exists?)

ну мюзикл типо + что-то про Гитлера...

Truly odd. German show / folk tunes, apparently. I suppose it's different enough that exposing folks to it is something that the 1001 thought was a good idea. That said, I don't have to like it.

Well, it's definitely a change of pace. It's an interesting callback to a whole sphere of music that has almost completely fallen out of cultural relevance, and to that extent it's at least noteworthy in that respect. But is it good? Nah, not really. Not at all. There's this reigning Marxist political theme throughout that doesn't really feel particularly inspiring or insightful. Mostly I was sitting around waiting for it to be over, which is unfortunate. I've enjoyed some of the more challenging albums in the list so far - I'm a Einstürzende Neubauten defender, to talk German - but this one completely missed. Certainly the worst thing I've listened to on the list so far (about ~150 in). But I also feel like I'm an idiot who must be missing something, so I dunno if I can give it a one. it's earnest, at least. Was kind of cool that this wasn't available on any streaming service. Let's say two points for keeping it interesting. Fav tracks: Bankenlied

This was an interesting listen! Definitely not what I was expecting but I’m not sure what I was expecting in the first place. It was almost like listening to a musical theatre album in a way? Krause had a pleasant voice and I liked all of her different vocal characteristics that she had for various characters within the political story of the album. I’m not sure if I would listen to this again but it was an interesting and enjoyable experience.

Difficult to find, rightfully so.

Could not find a consistent version.

Perhaps 1920's Berlin, but that's not my style. Very dramatic though.

These are songs written to accompany plays by Berthold Brecht. They are strident and very theatrical. I think the interpretation was probably exactly what the composer and lyricist intended. But give me Kurt Weil for Brecht. Not something I want to hear again. This one isn’t on Spotify so nothing to add to my playlist.

Not for me. I don’t have the time to deep dive this, so a 2

DNF

Not really my thing. Very theatrical. Most of the songs didn't appear to go anywhere although one or two were interesting such as The Trenches, which reminded me of Army Dreamers by Kate Bush.

47/100. The record is essentially a collection of politically and socially charged songs by Hanns Eisler, performed by Krause in English. It is definitely an unusual listen, and I found it quite interesting from that perspective. That said, while I appreciate the concept and the ambition behind it, I cannot say I found it particularly good overall.

Oof I wanted to like this but found it a very tough to make it through. If I wanted to listen to German showtunes I'd turn on a dubbed version of Chicago. In all seriousness I really did not enjoy most of this. But there were a few fleeting moments of intrigue die to her voice and the composition which were relatively moving. That and I appreciate that I hadn't heard this before. Still, though, not for me overall. 2/5

Favorite track(s): Mother's Hands, The Trenches I'll respect it for pushing my boundaries. I'm not big on musical theater/cabaret to begin with, but it's made somewhat awkward on top by the translations. A few glimpses of interesting arrangement. Overall, pretty bizarre. I'll take my Dagmar with Henry Cow or Slapp Happy instead.

This is like your elderly, possibly mildly demented grossmutter decides to start singing show tunes. Whilst the voice is very good, the music is definitely not anything that I would choose to listen to and the songs, whilst witty at times, are mostly pretty rudimentary. I do find it quite amazing that someone funded this to be produced in 1988, full of songs from the 1920s, and here we are being forced (admittedly of our own volition) to listen to it nearly 40 years later. I would give this 1 star except her voice is really pretty good, shame about the rest of it.

# Album Name: Tank Battles # Artist: Dagmar Krause # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Today i learned it was not the doors who sung alabama boy. Nice vocals. Some interesting sounds. Definitely off the beaten track. Sadly, this was way too long for me. It would have been a 3 if shorter. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

Never cared for cabaret (not even Brecht-affiliated) It was all the rage in the eighties it seems like.

Ok. I can appreciate something different. It's not for me though.

I’m not sure if this was for a soundtrack or what.

Interesting album this one, theatrical or what?

bizarre

Feels very operatic in its delivery, songs are a bit like chanson (or what I think chanson is) and the stories they tell seem quite dark. As far as the music goes it's not my thing and I don't actually understand this type of music. I'm not at all lyrics person and this is all stories, also the songs end quite abtruptly. Feels like this is one of those "no rating" albums, but I'll give it a 2/5 as it's not bad and for "stronk completionist gene" reasons.

German Edith Piaf from the ‘80s

Ich interessiere mich heute viel weniger für den Marxismus als in meiner Jugend.

I don't think I'm the target audience for this. Feels like "WWII on Ice" or something. Not overly bummed that I won't be re-listening to this on Spotify

Not crazy about musical theatre or most things avant garde. Appreciate the historical elements

This is an educational album giving a flavour of what German cabaret sounded like during the World Wars and inter-war periods. The English translation of several tracks will annoy purists but it helps position the songs and drive home the meaning for English speaking listeners. I don’t spend much time listening to musical theatre, what I’ve connected with has been contemporary and pop influenced, so this is a taste stretcher for me which I failed to connect with beyond taking a curious historical interest. It’s amazing to think that the gap between today and this album’s release is only slightly less than that of this album’s release and the end of World War Two. How the world has changed!

So this was unexpected. I like to think I'm doing this project to open my mind to new things and this was a winner in this regard. But I am also (and more) doing this to find new music I want to hear again. And in this regard, a miss. Great job transporting me back to 1920's Germany. Can't think when I'd ever put this on. Vocals were strong. 2/5

this is fine, I guess. It just sounds like I'm listening to a soundtrack to a musical, but I'm not too interested in the story. Probably won't listen to it again

this was a tough listen. I appreciate the idea but its not for me

Weirdo stuff. Not my thing at all. Would rather have not even listened TBH. I didn't hate it like it didn't repulse me... maybe just too high-brow for me.

Musically, it sounds like better-than-average-community-theater. I get that the lyrics are something about German nazi guilt. And that's a really important message for the world, and particularly Americans, to hear right now. But if there's music playing, my frontal cortex can't focus on the meaning of words. My attention is always pulled back into the music - the harmonies and their progression, the melodies, the instrumentation, the performances . . . It's why I don't get the adoration for Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, musical theater, etc.

That was… unexpected. The way that my kids looked at me when they heard what I was listening to was worth the price of admission. I will be pulling this out whenever they try to make me listen to K-pop. The album has a real cabaret kind of vibe. I don't hate it but I'm not crash hot on it either, and I'm not confident that it would reward repeated listens.

Мне кажется Гитлер бы кайфовал под это

interesting but not really my jam

Art Rock, conceptual, revisionismo de vanguardia... expresiones que significan difícil de escuchar. Este disco no es una excepción.

Well made, but not for me.

Loved the story behind the guy who composed those songs more than the songs themselves

The content of these songs is far more interesting than the packaging. Unfortunately, the packaging is extremely difficult to listen to.

Staat niet op spotify, wereldwijde ratings zijn slecht en ik zie dat het jazz is, dus ik vind het niet zo'n probleem

With all due respect what the fuck is this. Some strange campy spoken word marxist poetry (that is a bit clunky an overbearing in translation from german) across strange melodies performed by some kind of big band?? This just mainly elicits confusion, I do appreciate they tried here but I do not think it's working. The genre is not for me, the over-the-head lack of lyrical grace isn't for me. There are better socialist genres out there

German beer hall

Could not locate (and could not be arsed with youtube) found a couple of her other tracks and from reading between the lines on other reviews I doubt it would be my bag.

Tank Battles I’m sure that there is an audience for 1930s German Marxist Cabaret songs that aren’t by Kurt Weil, sung with lyrics in English by a strident German musical theatre lady, but I don’t quite think I'm it. It obviously doesn’t help that it's a YouTube listen, but even if it was easier to access I’m still not sure I’d fall in love with it. Having said that, I do admire its uniqueness, and I appreciate the artistic endeavour of showcasing a forgotten songwriter. Lyrically it is very interesting too, it makes a nice change of pace to hear songs about wheat harvests and welfare states, and something like Song of a German Mother is in fact very moving. It's also for the most part very well recorded, the tone of the horns in particular is lovely and warm, and it feels like it is genuinely evocative of what I imagine Weimar Republic cabarets sounded like. Although occasionally it does belie the time period it was recorded, with the guitar at the start of The Rat Men (although it could have been The Perhaps Song, as its hard to know ithe YT sometimes) However it boils down to a style of music I’m just not that keen on, a bit too oompah, a bit too musical theatre and it kind of puts me on edge, Bettellied in particular bothered me on that front. Happy to file this under ‘Glad I listened but it's not really my cup of gluwein’. 2. 🪖🪖 Playlist submission: Song of a German Mother

It's difficult not to associate 20s-era German music with erotic cabaret, and I'm not sure this is what Krausse is going for, notwithstanding the fact she is a handsome lady. The lyrics, often Brecht's, are more concerned with war, poverty, and hyperinflation (but then again who hasn't wanked off over seeing working men line up in black-and-white for their bread rations). Its so theatrical that it's difficult to warm to. But I can appreciate it without really liking it. That being said, the tracks regarding the tragedy of German mothers are all devastatingly observed and they have the biggest impact. For instance, 'Mother Beimleim' hits you like a Björk from the blue - a truly avant-garde piece, telling of a Mother's attempts to keep her family afloat by whoring, and going a little mad. The real power here remains in the stories being told rather than the delivery and the musical dressing. More than that, it's difficult to relate to lyrics set in the Weimar Republic about a country's slip into blind-fascism, following a deluded dictator who will surely lead them all to war. Isn't it? Well, isn't it?

I always enjoy listening to something completely new and innovative, but this really pushed my limits. I dont like concept albums and am not a fan of show tunes so i did not enjoy this. It avoids one star just for the effort that went into it.

Avant-Garde music from the circle of Brecht-Weill-Eisler is generally not for me - I just can't find anything aesthetically pleasing about it. But not all music is for everyone. And that's OK. 1.5/5

Alright, so there is more here to like than the global rating would have you think. There is diverse instrument play, and it sounds like the catchy background of an old history documentary...sorta. Then, it gets old fast, and it drags on approximately an hour. Almost like Nintendo 64 Rareware music, mixed with Nazi Music, and a woman's voice that just appears out of place throughout the entire album. Santa Claus gave me a lump of coal for Christmas. Favorite Track: "Bankenlied".

Album 999 of 1089 Tank Battles - Dagmar Krause (1988) Rating : 2 / 5 Listenable, but emotionally distant and not something I’ll return to. This one felt more like an experience than an album in the traditional sense - and for me, it was a pretty average one. The language barrier is real here. German just isn’t a language that stirs much emotion for me musically, and as a result, a lot of the tracks came across as tense or angry without much nuance breaking through. I can appreciate that this is likely intentional and meaningful to others, but it didn’t translate in a way that pulled me in. There’s nothing offensively bad here, but there also wasn’t much that made me want to lean in or revisit it. I listened, I took it in, and that was about it. This feels like one best appreciated by listeners already tuned into this style and presentation. For me, it’s one to acknowledge, set aside, and move on from.

Weimar republic meets broadway

Not really my thing. It just ended up being background music. I’m sure if you dive deeper into the album, you could talk about how complex and sophisticated it is, but for me it was just background music.

Like Ute Lemper from before, but more Nazi. What is going on with you Krauts?

Kind of interesting I guess but I'm not that into this

Felt like every song that I kind of could get into was followed by something 180 from it. Not to mention the Youtube stream was very low quality which didn’t help the listening experience.

Þetta var hræðilega pirrandi eins og Nico.

Found a YouTube playlist for this. Think it was the full album.... Well I don't think I've ever heard anything like it I suppose. Very theatrical. Some songs really work, but others really don't. I think the English tracks have been translated from German so it's almost like the lyrics are trying to be forced into the melody. It was quite interesting, I'll give it that. But I feel it's designed for the stage, not for just audio. Would never choose to listen again. 1.5

I was not ready for this. I do not know nearly enough about this genre to tell if this is a masterpiece, but both the arrangements and the lyrics seem fairly clunky. I think I would have preferred to hear this in german instead. I challenge anyone to actually enjoy "Mother Beimleim".

Expected to hate it. Didn't love it by any means, but it was at least unique and kept my attention.

Man, entries like this on this list crack me up - largely unknown, not very well received (and in the case of this website, terribly received), sort of avant-garde, and obviously just a niche favorite of the list-designer's. I enjoyed this about as much as I enjoyed another dark cabaret album on this list, the one by Ute Lemper, except this one was less directly pleasant and more over-the-top, theatric, and kind of ridiculous in almost every way. So even though I felt like I was over this the second it started (it's just not my thing), I tried my absolute best to enjoy it. There's some charm here, and some of the instrumental ideas and general sonic direction are pretty neat, but it suffers primarily from the songs being way too short, like I just don't understand the choice behind that at all. There is zero breathing room for some of the better ideas here. 'Chanson Allemande' especially pissed me off with how short it was; it was a great ballad-type song that reminded me a lot of 'Alice' era Tom Waits in a lot of ways, and then it just ends like nothing.

Not broad enough.

Why in the world is this album on the list, especially when they know they have to piece it together on YouTube. This album is lamo.

Day696 - german sounding broadway wasn’t what i expected

Not on spotify. Tough industrial noise sound

weird european stuff

Sinceramente, no tengo opinión. No he sabido en ningún momento de qué iba la cosa. Un disco excesivamente largo y en el que no me he orientado nunca.

Just wasn't in the mood for this today. Maybe another time I'd have enjoyed it more

Not sure what this even is. Bad show tunes?

WTF is this? 2*

I guess it would be more enjoyable to watch than just listen or even then listen. It was ok

What a strange album yet interesting at the very least. I was engaged the whole time even though its the opposite of what I like. Its all vocals and lyrics that I dont care much about and the backing music is sparse. I didnt love it or really even like it but I listened to the whole thing without wanting to turn it off. Sometimes I get a record where thats the truth but not here. Even though its not for me im still glad to have heard it. I won't hear it again but once was not too bad

I'll give points for the Eisler/Lang connection. I found myself drawn more towards learning about Eisler than enjoying Krause's renditions of them.

i mean i get why hanns eisler songs are worth listening to before you die (starkly anti-fascist, had to flee germany, a real blue-collar composer, etc.) but i don't know why *this* album is worth listening to before you die. this is a cool history lesson, not a great album. i reject the notion that there's some metanarrative to understand regarding this album or even music like it; i'm further unconvinced that dagmar krause's attempts at anglicizing this music are worth the effort. like, it's fine, but if you're at all familiar with 20th century german composition (i promise you're more familiar than that phrasing makes it sound; everyone is), you know what you're gonna hear. it isn't terrible at all, it just isn't as interesting as the history of the composer himself. *why* is this one here?

What a wild ride. I had a stressful day at work while listening, and I genuinely thought I was going into psychosis at some points. I saw several comments around the internet of a version of this project where all the songs were in their original German form, and I think that would have been better than what we got. As a non-German speaker, I still preferred the songs that were sung in German. Maybe I just didn’t like the lysis that I could understand very much, but it also seemed more fitting with the music. Something about the whole experience tells me that it would be awesome in a live setting. As an album and while having to move around in the real world, not so much. 2.5

I found this on YouTube Umm, I am not sure what this is exactly. Sounds like a soundtrack to a musical, spoken word poetry, a bard speaking singing about events or just the crazy lady in town running around singing and scaring the children. She was full of emotion and even when I couldn't understand her I could feel the feelings and it went well with the music. Just really not something I ever plan to listen to again.

The description says this isn't available to stream, but I found it on YouTube. The songs are a little out of order, but it's there. It's been a minute since we had an album on the lowest rated list. It was definitely unconventional, but I didn't think it was THAT bad. It was very theatrical and not something I'd listen to again, but it had interesting moments, and I appreciate the passion she sings with. It definitely went on too long though, and I got tired of it, which ended up bringing it down a star.

There's obvious musical talent here, but I doubt it will ever grace my ears again.

I couldn’t find this specific album on Spotify, so I just listened to about 15 songs by this artist….very odd. My initial thought was this is terrible but after a few songs I didn’t mind them as much

This is very different to the norm on here, I’ll give it an extra star for that. Not available on streaming services so I headed to YouTube for this one where initially I thought it was less than 30 minutes but alas, it was in 2 parts. It’s quite theatrical but evokes 1920s Berlin well. She has a good, distinctive voice, flipping from English to German, but overall this is simply not something I have enjoyed.

What in the hell was that. Not awful sounding but I feel like I watched a play in the lobby.

Hate to 'punish' the album for being hard to find but it is really difficult to appreciate when peppered with YouTube ads and I swear the tracklisting I found was far longer than the standard album. The book says this one is under 40 minutes but I swear I was waiting for it to end for well over an hour. Maybe someone had added bonus tracks, maybe it had that many ads in it or maybe it just felt like that because it was a boring and repetitive listen. Some good atmospherics in the instrumental side, I'll give it that. But her voice is rough and I just did not enjoy the theatrics at all.

Not really my jam but she has a good voice.

This isn’t the worst thing I’ve heard but really wouldn’t listen again. A bit too avant garde for me, 2.25/5. Certainly not my least favorite from the project

09/11/2025 This was not the easiest find or the easiest listen.

Gotta leave Spotify for this one. The title reminds me of playing Battle Tanx on N64 at Tyler Pinders house. Hmm... we've got 58 minutes of this eh? Is this intended as a musical? Like I feel like I should be watching actors on stage. Why can't I find more info about the story here? One critic called Tank Battles "worthy" and said that the vocals were "stunning" and instrumental "impeccable". I'm definitely stunned. One Youtube commenter said of Track 5 "this is important" Mother Beimleim is actually really sick. I would have made this the lead single. Song of a German Mother - an commenter on Youtube "These are the most ridiculous lyrics I have ever heard". But this song is heartbreaking. The vocal performance is overly dramatic and feels pushed sure - but it's the grief and guilt of a mother who realized she'll never see her son again after he joins up? "Ridiculous" is a wildly unfair criticism of these lyrics. The further I get into it the album the more I'm appreciating it. But at the same time I'm starting to get pretty fatigued by it. And a few songs later I kinda just want it to end. It's not getting worse.. it's very consistent.. too consistent haha. Just more of the same. But then I get woken up by a lyric like this on Ballad Of (Bourgeois) Welfare: "they take care of the pregnant woman when the need a class to work.." And a legitimately interesting shift into an uptempo section. "You get the soup and they get the marrow" Mothers Hands - this is beautiful and heartbreaking at it's core. It's really just the presentation I don't like. The youtube artwork for The Wise Woman and The Solider is hilarious in contrast to the music. This song is boring. Hit an very out of place ad for a Conestoga College video game design program. THE RAT MEN!!!! wtf is this sexy ass saxophone doing here??? We're kind of just re-hashing a LOT of the same themes here. Not a whole lot of development happening after a certain point. And then it ends with a minute long song written to a radio. I only searched quickly but wish I could find out more about why this album was made or any sort of story behind it. I would be more into this if it was part of a larger musical performance, but I can't say I'm into it musically as a stand-alone album. That being said.. It's easy to laugh at but I don't think it's objectively bad by any stretch of the imagination. There's a lot of beauty and tension and the arrangements are well thought out even if it's presented in a way that I typically strongly dislike (musical soundtracks). It's long and becomes tedious rather quickly. This album is like a bowl of cold Borscht - I personally don't understand how anyone could like it, it's boring, and it makes me feel like I'm hiding from the Red Army. But it serves a purpose.

Tim Burton probably like this shit. I started off thinking I was gonna hate this but honestly at times made me very curious. There’s something here. If there were less music in the world I might try harder to follow that curiousity lol. Some of the melodies/chord progressions took me off guard. Like moments of woah that was cool but then I’m brought back out. The weird theatrical vocal delivery isn’t something I gravitate toward but then again I love Kate Bush and Prefab Sprout and somehow those don’t seem completely dissimilar. I realize I actually have a couple tracks of her other project Slapp Happy saved. Some cool stuff there. BTW John Harle on sax - he served as Paul McCartney’s artistic advisor?!?! But more importantly dad to Danny L Harle (PC Music, AG Cook collaborator) which is wild loll

Not available on Spotify. Gave it a listen on YouTube. So German cabaret music translated into English. Not my jam.

It doesn't surprise me that there's a Brecht-written album on the list, but it *does* surprise me that it's not that Lotte Lenya/Kurt Weill one! I'd never heard of Eisler or Krause before, and I'm still not really sure what the list compiler heard in this one. I'm just not the right person to be listening to art lieder, I suppose.

Won’t get that 25 minutes back

I only listened to 3 tracks, but I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it’s not for me. If this is one of the “1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die,” then there must be thousands of other albums that deserve a spot too.

Like a rejected musical coming to haunt me

Even though I don't understand German, I think I preferred the numbers that the artist sung in her native tongue to those performed in English. Some interesting story-telling on this album, but the music is definitely not my bag, and I'd be unlikely to listen to it again.

I’d never heard of Dagmar Krause or this album before today—and it turned out to be quite a challenge to even track down! After all that effort, I was really hoping it would be worth the hunt. The best way to sum up Tank Battles is “unique.” There aren’t any traditional songs here that you’d sing along to or even tap your foot with. Instead, it’s a strange, theatrical, and often jarring collection of performances. At times, it sounds more like a dark cabaret soundtrack or a set of eccentric sketches than a conventional album—some tracks even reminded me of parody songs from The Simpsons. That said, Krause’s vocals are powerful and utterly distinctive—like a German PJ Harvey performing a wartime opera. The instrumentals are intricate and well crafted, but overall, this isn’t an album I enjoyed or would listen to again. Still, I’m glad I gave it a go—it’s unlike anything else I’ve encountered on this list, and I learned a lot about Krause and the influences behind her work. Favourite track: “Ballad of the Slackersingers.” I might even suggest my daughter’s school add it to their harvest festival playlist next year. Least favourite track: “Mother Beimlein” — short, creepy, and genuinely unsettling (like a few other songs on this album). Album artwork: I actually really like the cover—it’s striking and perfectly fits the album’s eccentric tone.

A very different kind of album for sure - definitley not a pop album by any definition. A rendition of Weimar cabaret translated to English. It's an admirable project with some great very dramatic performances. Although it's not really something I'd ever want to put on, it could be cool to see live and learn more about the music/lyrics and the context of their creation as well as the context of this rendition. Definitley sounds like a German of a certain generation grappling with what their parent's generation did.

jag förstår inte… jag hatar inte det men jag förstår inte heller

5 stars for being weird. Unfortunately, that is not the measure for rating the albums here. That said, I don't regret listening to it; I just won't listen to it ever again.

I didn’t really get the appeal and also I couldn’t listen on Spotify :(

The guy who said this is better than Let England Shake might be the stupidest dude on here. Ah yep, their favourite album is Aja. Moron.

The instrumentation was good but I don’t have much connection with German music.

Sehr interessantes Album schwer zu finden nur auf YouTube habe leider nur geschafft die Hälfte zu hören Björk vibes ist aber mehr auch ein Musical als einzelne Songs Lore dahinter ist Crazy bewerten wir aber nicht mit deswegen nur eine 3 Best song: Chanson Allemande Rating: 2,7

A great voice for sure, sound like it is a very significant piece of history but for sure I will not listen again this album 2/5

Been avoiding this one 'cause listening to it would involve getting off my lazy ass and moseying on down to the YouTube search bar. This album has a pretty sweet album cover, though I've no clue what to expect from the actual music. I know the Germans were going nuts with punk music in the 80s, so I feel as though that's my best bet. Wow, a real oddball pick. I suppose this is a jazzy album cover, too. The music isn't bad, though what really hurts this album are the track lengths. It's difficult to feel an investment in this music when nearly two-thirds of the songs on this album are under two minutes in length. Still, there's a simple pleasure to this music that I found myself enjoying. "The Ballad of the Sackslingers" is a decent tune. I like the changing tempos, and the storyline it tells is pretty entertaining. "Mother Beimlein" is an unusual tune. Can't say I like it all that much, though I appreciate how Dagmar's unique vocals are paired with a suspenseful instrumental to create a strange atmosphere. "The Perhaps Song" has a pretty good instrumental. I dig the soothing brass and how it contrasts with the malignant guitars. "Bettellied has some good vocals and a decent violin instrumental to boot. "The Rat Men - Nightmare" is pretty strange and avant-garde, but I dig it. I like those ambient, ominous guitars, and the thudding, suspenseful percussion isn't half bad, either. "Song of a German Mother" is pretty good. Beautiful piano, and Dagmar's vocals are at their best - very mournful. Book time. A whole lotta nothing in there beyond the production being good and Dagmar Krause being a good vocalist. Wikipedia doesn't have much in there, either. Yeah. I'm thinking of snubbing this one, which sucks as I'm generally favourable to the inclusion of world music. Wish I knew a really good German album to assume the position of this one, though I sadly only know of Kollaps. I humbly submit Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind for inclusion on this list.

OK.

Eeeee no me disgustó

weird german political cabaret. Interesting voice but way too long

Pleasant enough voice to build Ikea furniture to but not worth how long I kept it saved on my Youtube/nor worth the effort to find it. 2.5 Stars

I found this on youtube, but possibly it was an amalgamation of the English and German versions. Can't say I really enjoyed it but it was incredibly different to anything else on this list which I think warrants its inclusion.

Im happy to entertain these cabaret albums for a few tracks. Certainly not my bag. I did find some of the theatrical rise and fall to be fun, but the novelty wears off in 5 tracks.

1.5....there's something about it that's not letting me give it 1. Perhaps my German heritage. I don't really want or need to hear it again, but there was never a time where I thought "what's the point of all this?" - I'm looking your direction Roni Size and The Triffids.

Очень затянуто. Из-за числа песен, которые к тому же трудно различить, в какой-то момент альбом просто надоедает. У нее интересный голос, и немецкие вещи действительно звучат. Атмосфера такого старого, скрипящее дерево и всё вот это вот. Лучшая песня - Berlin 1919.

First album I had to listen to on YouTube because it wasn't on Spotify...so it's also not included on the "favorite" playlist as of now. I think this was an interesting listen. Not my speed, kind of cabaret with a larger orchestra? Not sure. Seems very German pop oriented (which is also interesting but a bit odd to my American pop preferring ears), but I won't be seeking it out.

I mean… weird and German. Interesting but overall not something I dig

Certainly unique, won’t be coming back to it. Liked the song about the German mom regretting sending her son to the SS.

2.5 Very interesting listen, I somewhat liked the musicality of this but that might change with sustained and repeated listens. Hanns Eisler seemed to have a tough go at life.

Is this the soundtrack to a West end show? If so then I'm on board. If not.. what are tracks like Mother Beimleim doing in there. Either way this is not a musical I would enjoy.

2 - Maybe the songs in context would be better

Music of it's time... next.

it almost sounds like a modern day opera. most of the songs are very short. the version i listened to had several songs in german. this was just not for me, honestly.

Couldn’t find this so I listened to something else by this guy and meh.

Kind of a chore to get through this.

Cover 6 Songs like an off Broadway musical. It's interesting and I don't necessarily here it but I Soyny see myself listening to it again.

This collection of socialist songs was released and within a year the Berlin Wall was torn down. Coincidence? I'm not sure. It has modern opera vibes. I don't like modern opera at all. It's dissonant to make it more dramatic. But it's hard to listen to. Favorite song: Bankenlied.

I tended to like the songs that are left in German over the ones they translated to English. The English ones I found the lyrics sound disconnected from the music. It was meant to be listened to in German, leave it the fuck alone. Favorite songs: Bankenlied, Song of a German Mother, Lied von der Belebeden Wirkung des Geldes (The Song of the Invigorating Impact of Cash), The Trenches Least favorite songs: Mother Beimleim 2/5

Very difficult to listen to. Couldn't do it.

This album made me feel like a hypocrite because here i've been, banging my fist to the desk for more diversity! Less rock/pop! And then this shows up and it just doesnt land. So happy it's something that isn't American or British, and she certainly has a STELLAR voice - but it's a bit too showtunesy and theatrical for me. A lot of the instrumentation, while diverse and impressive, sometimes sounds a bit thin? Maybe part of that is that it's an album from 1988 compressed into a youtube upload, but yeah. My pick is "The Ballad of the Sackslingers" for it's constant tempo changes and vivd storytelling. Just not my jam at all. It's not at all bad! Just not for me

Found this one on Youtube. Felt like a musical so I think I would appreciate it more if I could sit down and try and pay attention to everything it's saying. Musically, it was a little boring.

I may not have found the full version of this album, but I heard enough on YouTube Music to get a pretty good impression. I was expecting the soundtrack from the Atari 2600 tank battles. But what I heard instead was more like a cartoonish version of Cabaret. More because of the German than the subject matter, although there were Hitler and brown shirt references near the end of what I listened to. Aside from that, the vocals were good and, because overall better than expected, rounding up from 1.5*.

German opera/folk ballads. Singing them in English does nothing to improve them.

Not my cup of tea

Wow, this is... A lot. It's not bad songwriting, it's just very abrasive and experimental. Not my favourite.

Big nope.

No thanks

Honestly, I don't know what to think about this album. It was cool, it had almost a theatrical feel. I liked the songs and her voice, but I was not the biggest fan of them.

Interesting concept... I'm not sure I enjoyed my visit to 1920's Germany, but I am not sure I was supposed to.

so you're enjoying a beer and a bratwurst but you've done that every day so far this holiday and it feels like you should do some culture, right? but the only thing you can a ticket for is ... this? something something Brecht? yeah all right then ... and now that sausage is but a fond memory

Its showtunes. I just can't. Good voice, but an hour of German tinged songs about tanks. No.

As with so many other albums on this list, you can ask whether this should be on the list. At least it's not another average pop/rock album from USA or UK. So that is a good reason for including it rather than those. But it does not change anything about how I like this album and I do not really like it (some few parts are quite good). Of course I know Hans Eisler but are there no other singers out there which master these songs better? Or generally songs of this aera? And for gods sake, why does she sing so many songs in english? These sound terrible.

Sure, politically astute and she’s quite the performer. But little attempt to make the heady and heavily Brechtian influenced music and presentation more accessible to a general listening public. So it’s like being told that castor oil is good for you and then being forced to drink it.

What a strange little Brechtian album. Not one of these songs has a normal time signature

Not for me. All I could think was this is a KMFDM demo tape without distortion. So +1 for that.

Meh

2 cuz I couldn’t find anything about it

Das Albom geds basicly nome of YouTube ond hed dete es paar tuusig Ufrüef, die meischte wahrschiindlech vo dere Websiite. Das erklärt scho mol veles. Es esch halt eifach ergend e random mix us velne genres met e chli random tön zwöschetenne. So chammers de au jazz nenne. Au t sproch änderet au emmer weder e chli, meischtens dütsch oder änglisch. Es ged aber au no geinigermasse okay lieder. Mängisch, wenn sie nome öppe eis Genre produziert, wie de einti 50er song, esches tatsächlech ned so scheisse. Allgemein chammmers lose, es ged aber halt e million anderi besseri songs.

Hard pass.

1/2

Admirable for trying something new, but it's an odd mishmash of cabaret and rock. Not great 2*

Incessantly, melodramatically mediocre

< the Beatles

A very peculiar album this, but not the first to have this effect on me. Half in German, half in English. But then why not, she is German. No problem there, but all the way through, I kept having the feeling that I should be enjoying this more than I am. Interesting rather than enjoyable, I'm glad I listened to it. But that's not anything I believe I'll do again. 2

WTF? I was expecting an Eastenders Pub singalong album, then I realised I had read the artists name wrong. What I actually got was even more surprising, an German bird goose stepping through the Teutonic version of Gilbert and Sullivan. I just don't know what to think. Was it good or was it something that should never have happened? 1 star for the surprise, and 1 star for not having Kathy and Wilmott-Braaahn on singing duties.

Does it sound good? No, but at least it is interesting... It sounds like quirky theatre kid music, or a Simpsons song with out the jokes or decent singing. She sounds like she is adlibbing. High 2.

Wow, this seems like a pet album. No idea what makes this so essential to put on this list. Dagmar Krause reminds me of Kate Bush in an art collective, singing songs by a composer who can't be mentioned without Kurt Weill's name as a reference point. Why is this on this list? Dagmar Krause maybe--MAYBE--deserves to be a list of artists to be familiar with, but I'd argue only as a member of Slapp Happy or Henry Cow, and then only because of synergies made with her bandmates (Fred Frith, Peter Blegvad, Chris Cutler). It's not a bad album, per se, but it's so niche, I can only scratch my head as to why it's on this list. 1 star for being on the list, plus two or three for the quality of the music, averaging to 2 stars.

I was really surprised that this album is actually from the 80's! An interesting change from the recent albums with a serious topic. But musically not my cup of tea.

Brecht-Eisler rather than Brecht-Weill. The dramatic agit-prop lyrics are obviously very similar. Eisler's music definitely comes across as less pop-oriented and easy to listen to than Weill's. I like that this is on the list because it's such an unexpected entry that actually broadens one's perspective (whether or not one actually enjoys it) rather than just being the 20th British New Wave album, or the 5th Simon & Garfunkel album. It's adds to the mystique that this album is pretty unavailable these days. In conclusion, though... I prefer somewhat more modern adaptions of Brecht/Weill/Eisler's works. This sounds fairly true to the original and it kind of gives me nervous heart jumps.

I don't even know where to begin. On the one hand I want more unique, non-english stuff like this. On the other hand I don't really want this.

Grandma from SS